IObit has launched Smart Defrag 3.0, a major new version of its Windows defragmentation tool, which promises to improve performance by preventing fragmentation of the user’s hard drives.

Version 3.0 comes with a new defrag engine, adds a Defrag & Prioritize Files option for boosting overall performance and revamps the user interface to fit in the Windows 8 look.

IObit describes the brand new defrag engine as being “100 per cent secure” and offer more powerful disk optimization. Of more obvious benefit is the new Defrag & Prioritize Files option, which places frequently accessed files on the faster part of the drive for even better performance gains.

SmartDefrag 3.0 also comes with full support for Windows 8 and 8.1 – this is accompanied by a Modern UI-themed redesign of the user interface. The layout remains the same as the previous version, but it’s been tweaked to more seamlessly fit in with the flatter, squarer look of Windows 8.

Version 3 also adds support for defragging Windows 8 Metro Apps – this option can be found as a separate entry to the boot volume within the main user interface. Another new feature is that Smart Defrag now automatically saves logs for both Defrag and Analyze functions,

The update is rounded off with the promise of better performance and stability. Performance improvements include the promise of more efficient use of the PC’s resources by reducing CPU and memory demands as well as an accelerated Defrag and Fast Optimize option. Finally, version 3 improves the stability of the Boot Time Defrag option, which was first introduced in Smart Defrag 2.